


Betrothal

by Blue_Hood



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Demigods, F/F, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fae Mal (Disney), Homosexuality, Isle of the Lost (Disney), Isle of the Lost (Disney) is a Terrible Place, Lesbian Character, M/M, Marriage Contracts, Multi, United States of Auradon (Disney), United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect, Unseelie Court
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22199275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood
Summary: Mal and her twin brother Malice are invited off the Isle of the Lost to begin two years of courtship with Prince Benjamin and Princess Audrey as part of betrothals their parents entered them into. With the children of Maleficent, King Adam caves and finally accepts the petitions from his fellow heroes to get their villains' kids off, effectively evacuating the children of the Isle. What could possibly go right?
Relationships: Adam/Belle (Disney), Audrey & Ben (Disney: Descendants), Audrey (Disney: Descendants)/Original Male Character(s), Aurora/Phillip (Disney), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Ben/Original Character(s), Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Gil & Uma (Disney: Descendants), Li Lonnie/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	1. Off the Isle

**Author's Note:**

> Working title

“Run that by me again,” said Malice to his twin sister Mal.

“Apparently, I’ve been engaged since Mother took over the Isle. I’m betrothed to Prince Benjamin. You were betrothed to Princess Audrey to unify Auroria and the Moors. Hector and Korë are our half-siblings,” the twin children of Hades were rarely seen on the Isle due to their father’s insistence on raising proper heirs to his former throne. “We’re all going to Auradon to spend the next two years with our,”

“Betrotheds? Future spouse?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, good thing I’m close to Evie because I know how to get the others off the Isle.”

“How?”

“Remember the deal Mother made with Jafar?”

“Yeah,” Mal’s face split into a grin, “He’s my guard.”

“I don’t know if guys have ladies-in-waiting but Evie qualifies as yours.”

“We can’t leave Carlos without the-“

“I know. We’re getting married in two years, I should get to have a Best Man and you should get to have a Maid of Honor.”

“What about the other thing?”

“Sexual compatibility has no place in arranged marriages, just like love has no place on the Isle of the Lost.”

“Right.”

“When is the limo supposed to get here.” From four to seven, this could take some convincing.

“Next week.”

“We’ll meet it at the bridge. Jay will have to sit up front to sell the guard thing.”

When their friends joined them at the hideout, they shared their own news. “We’re getting off the Isle.”

“What?” Malice groaned “I miss all the good gossip.”

“But you’re safe.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The day after Evie and Evil Queen were banished, Maleficent ordered her henchmen to dispose of the other distraction, her son. “You realize I was betrothed at birth to Princess Audrey.”

“Really?”

Mal said “Yeah, Malice and I are betrothed to Auradon royalty. Because Mother runs the Isle, I’m betrothed to Crown Prince Ben.”

“A lot of kids are getting off the Isle,” Carlos said, “Apparently a lot of the heroes have been petitioning the Beastly King for years.”

“Now that he’s betrothed his son to the daughter of Maleficent, he can’t afford to refuse the petitions,” said Evie. “He would lose everything if he slighted the heroes that way.”

“Gaston’s sons are getting off,” said Carlos, “They can’t all be betrothed.”

Malice said “Actually they can. Gaston was a nobleman, it’s possible he had several betrothals in the works for his future children before the curse was broken and he was banished her. On the other hand, princesses are revered for their kind hearts. It’s possible Beast has been delaying the inevitable, refusing all petitions so his wife can’t argue he’s being unfair when he refuses to take Gaston’s sons off the Isle. Who knows? I didn’t know I was promised to a princess.”

“We leave next week, are you all going to Auradon Prep?”

“Yeah,” Carlos said, “I think children of major villains got scholarships.”

Malice suddenly stood up from where he was chilling on his bed, “Hades must qualify because I am not letting my little brother or sister suffer Olympian justice?”

“You didn’t know you had a brother until today,” argued Mal. “And we knew they were coming as our siblings, I doubt they’ll split us up when they invited us together.” Malice calmed down, returning to his place on his bed, an old sleeping bag laid out against one wall.

One week later, the seven of them were riding in a limo on their way to Auradon Prep. Most of the kids invited to Auradon would be transported by boat, meeting their foster families on the shore. Mal and Malice stood in front of the other five, defensive of their friends. A brunette woman introduced herself as Fairy Godmother, headmistress, before asking “Who is Malice and who is Maleficent the Second?” They all tensed at Mal’s full name.

Her twin spoke up “My sister here goes by Mal and I am Malice.”

Fairy Godmother introduced the people flanking her on either side, “Mal, meet your betrothed Ben. Malice, meet your betrothed Audrey.”

“Any way we can change our names?” Everyone stared at him, “I just can’t see the people of Auradon liking a guy named Malice, much less respecting me. Maybe we should adopt more appropriate names. I don’t know about the others but I was thinking Mason.” Audrey smiled slightly at that.

“We’ll discuss all of that later. For now, Audrey has agreed to show her betrothed and the boys around while Ben does the same for the girls.”

After the tour, they found themselves alone. Malice said “I know why our mothers arranged this and I have no intention of sharing my throne. Traditionally the Fae throne is passed from mother to daughter but since your kingdom forbids same-sex marriages, our traditions have been violated and I will not see our people suffer the same fate any longer.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“But I do. Unless you intend to invite my mother off the Isle, I must consent to sharing my throne. If you do invite her for this, she’ll simply reclaim the throne for herself and begin another reign of terror. The only way to protect yourself is to marry me but I am telling you now, I will not just give you sovereignty in my kingdom. Humans are traditionally ineligible for the throne and I cannot start my reign fighting my people. Maybe someday.”

“Oh, I see.” Audrey realized he was trying to be a king. “So you’ve been raised for this, right?”

“The day after Evie turned six, my mother decided to get rid of Mal’s other distraction, me. I suppose in a way, she was preparing her heir. Since we’re both alive, the terms of the betrothal will be met by Auradon standards.”

“Are you-“ she hesitated, “Into other guys?”

“Gay?” Audrey nodded, “No idea. Since my mother ordered her henchmen to dispose of me, attraction and affection have been too dangerous to consider. I suppose, we have two years to develop the latter or so I was told.”

“How long have you known about us?”

“About our betrothal?” She nodded. “A week, the same goes for my sister but now all Mother’s talk about how Mal will one day follow in her footsteps, it makes sense. She knew her child would get off the Isle of the Lost, to marry you.”

Mal found her brother later that day, “How’s everything going?”

“They’re making us take Remedial Goodness.”

“I know. We can test out.”

“What?!”

Malice pointed to a section of the handbook “Read it.”

“ _Any student can request to take an exam early if they feel they are not being properly challenged._ Upon passing the exam, students will be moved to the appropriate advanced class.”

“Meaning,” Malice said “We can test out of goodness all together. We write an essay about how we reacted to the news last week before learning our friends had been invited separately, explaining that it was the only way we thought we could save them from the Isle and maybe, that heroic act will get us out.”

“You’re brilliant.”

“Two years from now, you’ll be High Queen of Auradon and I’ll be King of the Moors, with my human consort Princess Audrey of Auroria.”

“That’s your plan? You think they’ll let you be king if you don’t make Audrey queen.”

“Yes because they don’t have a choice.” He showed her the file folder on his desk, “We were given copies of the betrothals, or at least I was.” He showed her a section “Either I marry Audrey and inherit the throne, you marry Audrey and inherit the throne, or Auradon loses control over fairy magic. The barrier was made by Fairy Godmother. I’m not sure if Mother would be released to reclaim the throne or if you inherit automatically but humans lose either way. The wedding is their only chance.”

Mal was still talking to her brother when his roommate, Doug, returned “You can’t be here.”

Malice told him “Why not? We’re twins.”

Doug let out a relieved sigh “I’m sorry, I thought you were- nevermind.”

Waving to the device on his desk, Malice asked “What is this thing?”

“It’s a laptop.”

At her brother’s blank look, Mal said “Technology.” That sparked something and she turned to Doug “Could you teach us to use it? Can it help with essays? My brother and I plan to write one for Remedial Goodness, I don’t think we need the class. Malice takes care of so many street orphans on the Isle and I take care of my brother, we even plotted to get our friends off before we found out they were invited here too. Should probably not write about that. The handbook says that we can get out of the class if we feel it’s not properly challenging, and since it’s a new class-“ she trailed off.

Malice repeated “Can you teach us to use the laptop to write essays?”

“Oh, sure.”

“Are you or Evil Queen’s daughter betrothed?”

“No, not that I know of as far as Evil Queen’s daughter, why?” asked Doug as he showed them how to turn it on before explaining the ports and what not to press. Mal had no problem leaning over her brother’s other side to ask get closer to the device, which had the side effect of getting close to Doug.

Malice answered “Well, assuming she can overcome a lifetime of being told she needs to marry a prince, I think you’d be a good match. She’s smart, you seem smart. If she can’t get over Evil Queen telling her smart is ugly then she’ll need a tutor. Why am I playing wingman for your best friend, Mal?”

“Because I doubt she can overcome the brainwashing.”

“Oh, just be clear, Hades’ kids are staying here, right?”

“Well.” Mal straightened and Malice stood, “Hercules adopted them.”

“No,” Malice ran off, chanting the one word. He found his half-siblings solemnly climbing into a limo and let out a blast of magic. “No!” He ran towards them, standing between his siblings and their escort “I will not let them take you, you know Greek justice better than I do. The Olympians damn whole families, often for their fellow gods’ sins.”

His eyes were glowing, his spread arms a second away from igniting once more and his hair right behind them. He was truly the son of Hades and Maleficent, a god and Unseelie Queen. He looked around to see the fear in everyone’s eyes, freezing them in place and forced himself to stand his ground. His mother was right when she bemoaned how lacking he was in the evil department but he would do anything to defend those he claimed as his. Audrey found herself attracted to this side of him, the defender. After a moment, Korë and Hector each put a hand on his shoulder and he lowered his arms, blinking the glow out of his eyes. “No, I would sooner abdicate and see my sister on the Fae throne where she belongs than allow my family to suffer. Of course, the betrothal specifies that the child of Sleeping Beauty must wed the child of Maleficent lest all fairy magic be unbound. If I abdicate, you will have to allow two royal women to wed and that’s just not Auradon’s way, is it?” The fear remained as action was taken to appease him, he saw Audrey staring and smiled.

The cafeteria was clearly divided, Auradon royalty sitting on one side with Isle kids on the other and children of sidekicks awkwardly filling the middle ground. Evie, Mal and Korë were excitedly discussing design (read: vandalism) with a few others. The guys discussed and debated sports, trying to figure out what each one was based on the name. The daughter of Mulan let out a frustrated groan before picking up her tray and moving to sit with the guys “Swords and Shields is fencing, princes play fight each other with lots of padding so the play swords can’t even bruise.”

Gil asked “Why are you sitting with us?”

“I like girls and I’m a fighter not a royal. Here at Auradon Prep, those are strikes but they can’t kick me out for it, especially since my warrior mother Mulan saved China. They can give me detention for harassing princesses or going on a date with another girl, they can shun me for not being royalty. Actually, it’s kinda nice having more kids to share in the misery.”

They smiled and nodded before one of the boys called “Mei!” A girl with an Asian complexion came over, “Fa, what’s your name?”

“Li Lonnie.”

“Right. Li Lonnie, meet Shan Mei. Three guesses who her dad is?”

“Shan Yu.”

“Yeah. So you said liking girls and being a fighter not a royal were strikes against you, Mei has another strike against her as a VK. There’s no place for love on the Isle so I’m sure you can manage. Now can you tell us about Tourney?” Just like that, she was one of them.

Carlos wandered over to Doug’s table, “Mind if I sit here, I’m not really interested in sports and that’s all the guys will talk about.”

“No, not at all. You are?”

“Carlos de Vil.”

“Doug, son of Dopey.”

When they finished dinner, the royals darted past the new kids who continued talking like nothing was wrong.


	2. Loyalty

The next day at breakfast, the divide was greater as social outcasts sat with transfer students. Audrey dared to approach Malice who was entertaining Doug and his friends with stories of the Isle. “You should sit with me.”

“No. You can date whoever you want as long as you keep your relationships a secret. Until this divide among our classmates is over, we can’t be together. If we spend these two precious years on opposite sides, it doesn’t matter because we’re betrothed.” He turned back to the nerds, “So Gaston was impressed because he could’ve sworn Gil was a no-good, pun intended, useless fool befitting of the name LeFou and I taught him this advanced technique. Of course, once my debt is forgiven and Gaston starts to view his youngest as equal to the twins, Gil’s gotta screw it up by getting caught in a blackmail scam. I don’t even know how I ended up helping him but the next thing I know, we’re making like Aladdin before Jasmine and dodging sword wielding merchants. No joke, and I can’t take Gillian home because that’d endanger a few other friends so we end up running to the docks, getting lost a few times in the back alleys of the Isle. Thank God for Uma who had room on her crew for a guy like Gil. In fact, she liked him for the same reason his father now despised him. He’s what you would call gay and Gaston calls a disgrace. If he’d been caught with any girl on the Isle, barring someone like Lady Tremaine who is ancient, then he’d get a good job from his pops. Being gay, he’s not gonna harass her like his straight older brothers would. Being dumb, he’s not gonna question a girl being captain. Now both of them are kinda in my debt because I gave Uma the ideal enforcer. Gil just wants a home, and y’know, to live another day. Uma can give him both and all she wants is to be a respected captain. We have a match!”

Doug asked “Do you really think Evie will like me?”

“Yes. Now, I just thought of this while I was with my sister. Evie has it drilled into her head that she needs to marry a prince who has a big castle with a mother-in-law wing. You may not be a prince but you have access to Snow White’s castle, right?”

“Right.”

“If you can get up the nerve to ask her out, offer to show her around Snow White’s castle. The first part is the hardest, she knows you’re not a prince so you won’t hold her attention. If any of our friends get a clue, we can set you both up but until Mal, Evie or Jay figures out you would be perfect, you’re on your own.” The five minute warning bell rang and the VKs rushed out, some needing to visit their rooms. Whoever issued the scholarships had the foresight to set the students up with supplies ahead of time in addition to dorms. With a few exceptions, every Isle kid was paired with a willing Auradon kid. A few students were happy to room with a VK, a few were unsure and tabled as a just-in-case, and a few flat out refused. The students were called to the school for a handbook meeting, where Fairy Godmother made a case for the transfers and had a few teachers take students aside during the allotted time scheduled for the meeting to ask them one-on-one without peer or parental pressure playing a role. The children of the seven dwarves all gave a solid yes, though Bash wasn’t sure they’d like him. In the end, a few new students were placed together, like Jay and Carlos. Both Bash and Jane were asked to open their rooms to Hector and Korë respectively.

Mal and Malice stopped by their third period, Remedial Goodness, to hand in their essays. Malice explained “The handbook said we could test out of classes and I think we could test out of this one, figured we could write an essay in case the exam wasn’t available yet.”

“Oh, how nice.” Fairy Godmother accepted their essays, “I had a few other students do the same thing and I’m sorry to say, you’ll have to take the class today but I promise I’ll read your essays after school.”

Mal said “Okay. Well, we gotta head to class.”

In every class that day, they went over the syllabus and took a pretest. At lunch, Ben tried to either lure Mal away or join her but was turned away with the same unity speech her brother gave Audrey. “Well, okay but you know you can eat in the courtyard, right?”

“I did not know that, thanks.”

Thanks to Fae hearing, Malice heard and spread the word. He sat down with Shan Mei and Li Lanying, who had admitted Lonnie was a nickname. Malice didn’t say anything but his presence obscured the truth, allowing them to enjoy their date. After school, Fairy Godmother spoke with each essay writer individually, letting them know whether or not they would be removed from Remedial Goodness. Some were moved to higher level writing classes for their essays. Gil, Evie and Carlos were among the group excused from their first period on day one to take an aptitude test, either on suspicion of being gifted or challenged. Gil’s inclusion in her testing group allowed Evie to relax and do her best, because everyone knew Gil wasn’t smart so she had nothing to worry about.


	3. Meeting the In-Laws

That weekend, Malice was dragged off to Auroria to meet his future in-laws. He didn’t even pretend to care what they thought. He just reiterated the terms of the betrothal and reminded them that Mal wasn’t an option because a) she’s betrothed to Ben; b) she’s a girl and Auradon doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages. Audrey complained “You act like the Isle does recognize same-sex marriages.”

“Because it does. The Isle frowns on love not marriage. Shan Yu and Scar have been working on betrothing their daughters for as long as anyone can remember. The problem is getting someone to marry them not two girls getting married.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Love, affection, and to an extent, attraction on the Isle are looked at the same way as you look at homosexuality. Fucked up, isn’t it?”

The first thing Philip had said to Malice was “I hear you told Audrey that she won’t be queen.”

“Queen of the Fae is traditionally a title passed from mother to daughter, you’re the one screwing my sister out of her birthright. For the record, the Fae don’t recognize human authority.” Reading his expression, Malice told him, “Before you threaten the betrothal, you should read it. If I don’t marry Audrey then humanity will lose any and all control over fairy magic, which includes the barrier.”

They returned Sunday night and Malice immediately sought out his sister, “Did you have to spend the weekend with Beast?”

“Yes. And you had to spend it with Mother’s sworn enemies?”

“Yes. They want to hate me, fine but I will outrank Audrey when we are married. I will be king and she’ll be consort.” He shook with emotion he couldn’t identify. “I, I’m so tempted to, y’know.”

“Yeah. Hopefully it’ll get better. I’m going to be titled.”

“We can both be coronated in the Moors, crown princess and crown prince. A titled lady is a better suitor for the king and a princess is best.”

“Traditionally I’d be queen but,”

“But nothing, the betrothal specifies heir and we will both be heirs once we visit the Moors for our coronation.”

“Queen of the Fae and High Queen of Auradon is too much.”

Malice went to Ben’s room after talking with his sister, “What are you-“

“Why is same-sex marriage illegal here? Lonnie said she can’t even date other girls, why?”

“What?”

“By Fae Law and Tradition, Mal should be heir but by Auradon law, she can’t marry Audrey. Our mother entered a betrothal before we were born promising her heir to Sleeping Beauty’s to end centuries of on again off again war. She said being your queen and the Fae Queen is too much so why is same-sex marriage illegal?”

“It’s not illegal in all of Auradon. It’s forbidden here and in Auroria so-“

“Why? And you realize that makes this school a trap.”

“What?”

“Same-sex marriage is legal in some places but all heirs attend Auradon Prep, where it’s forbidden.”

“I never thought of it like that.”

“Can you explain why it’s illegal because I think legalizing fixes a lot of problems? Auradon law favors male offspring but Fae law and tradition favors females, Mal should be the next Queen instead of me being king. I can handle marrying you, even if we’re not in love or the law won’t give me the same authority that it’d give Mal. I can’t handle stealing my sister’s birthright and marrying into a family that hates me for being Maleficent’s son. You want to marry a child of Maleficent and the original betrothal referred to heirs. Why can’t I marry you and Mal marry Audrey? Why is it illegal?”

“Tomorrow after school, meet me in the front courtyard with Mal and Audrey, we’re going to talk to my parents.”

At Castle Beast, Malice waited impatiently for small talk to end and Ben to say “Malice has something he wants to discuss.”

“By Fae law and tradition, the throne is passed down from mother to daughter. Unlike humans, the Fae favor female offspring. After Phillip attempted to slay my mother in dragon form, she entered a betrothal to end centuries of on again off again war which claimed the life of Leah’s father. The betrothal states that the heirs of Maleficent and Aurora will wed. I’d like to know why same-sex marriage is forbidden and why this applies to a Fae betrothal. The Fae have a history of liaisons with witches, meaning my people have nothing against same-sex relationships. I can’t understand how you can force me to violate my people’s laws and traditions in accordance to your much newer culture. The Fae culture developed before humanity came into existence. Please, help me understand this or swap me for my sister. The only part of my betrothal I object to is stealing my sister’s birthright.”

King Adam and Queen Belle asked them for some privacy to discuss the matter. Malice said “One more thing. If my sister is to inherit the throne, she’ll become queen the day she comes of age. She may be eligible anytime within the next two years, whenever her magic matures. If I am to inherit, the court will surely delay my coronation as king because it is a major violation of both our laws and traditions, the foundation of society itself.” He asked “Can someone show me around? Fae hearing is very sensitive and I’d hate to violate the privacy of potential in-laws, I’ve learned my lesson with Audrey’s spiteful family.”

The princess said “I am not going to stand here and watch you try to destroy everything.”

“I’m not. If King Adam and Queen Belle change their kingdom’s marriage laws so that the betrothal between Ben and Mal can extend to me in my sister’s place then Mal can take the Fae throne and claim a conflict, annulling your betrothal which clearly states you must wed the Fae Queen’s heir. Would you prefer to continue on this path to marry me, become an unwanted Fae King’s consort and never have children eligible for your family’s throne while being looked down upon everyday for being the human descendant of the man who robbed the Queen of her most sacred wings, and that is assuming your child has enough Fae traits to be considered for our line of succession despite having a human mother. Hmm, would you?” Audrey looked stunned and offended. Malice turned to his sister “Can you show me around? Let’s leave the royals to their private chat.” He began to follow his sister out only to be stopped by King Adam.

“Wait. When you explain the alternative, I see we must change our laws. Feel free to give your sister the throne if her coming of age occurs before the paperwork goes through.”

“Will do. Our courtship can’t begin until the law changes but perhaps you could make a clarification, publicly announce that your kingdom recognizes the cultures of its fellow states and will allow citizens of said states to exercise their rights so long as they do not harm others. This way people from states that already allow same-sex marriages can go on dates with their significant others.”

“Will do.”

“Thank you. I have a few friends, including Gaston’s son, who are in that position.” To Audrey, he said “You will never be queen. Your parents are before you in succession and hopefully the law will come up with some way of choosing an heir by their merits not the order in which they are born. I sincerely hope you and Chad are happy for as long as your relationship can last but I think you are both too vain to be good monarchs. One day, he will be forced to think of someone other than himself but until then, as you say, God help his subjects.” To King Adam, he said “Don’t worry about succession. We’ll find a way, I have a long life expectancy here as a Fae demigod. If nothing else, there are spells that can allow couples such as us to have children with the necessary royal blood.” He asked Mal “Can you show me around? I think I’ll be spending a lot of time here.”


	4. Royalty

Mal’s wings began to grow in during the tourney game they were at with the boys. Jay and Malice were immediately at her side, transporting her to the Moors for a more natural transition. Jay stayed at the edge as Malice escorted her to the seat of Unseelie Fae power, sitting her on the throne. Her power suddenly grew, the change was instantly complicated as her brother knelt before her in his Fae form, horns and black wings appearing out of nowhere. The rest of the Unseelie flocked to the throne to follow suit. A woman dressed in black and blood red approached, bowing briefly before performing the coronation for the new Queen and Crown Prince. Mal’s first act was to annul the betrothal between her heir and Aurora’s, replacing it with the new betrothal to the High King. She also declared that she would review the laws affecting her people, being careful not to give herself a deadline. Within a week of their meeting, King Adam announced the change to marriage laws.

Before Malice left his sister, they both sat through a reception, their reception, and spent the night in their new home. Every Unseelie Fae of standing and some without status bestowed gifts upon the twins, tangible gifts not the Seelie blessings on a favored babe. Malice was given the finest suits adorned with his family crests, a signet ring, a few things to make his engagement more proper, precious spellbooks and other tools of the trade. He was also gifted with servants bound to his will, something humans would view as slavery but Fae see as an honor. Maleficent was gifted with very similar things. She was given gowns mixed in with the suits, a signet ring, more precious spellbooks, the finest tools of the trade, some status symbols, her council swore fealty and she too was gifted with servants bound to her will. Malice swore loyalty, cementing her place as the true queen with no rivals.

In Auradon, he put on the forest green suit with the purple dragon on emerald green crest, his proper family crest. He asked Doug, as the dwarf entered their room, “Where’s Ben?”

“He’s spending the weekend with his parents. Where were you last night?”

“At my coronation. I am officially Crown Prince of the Unseelie Far and my sister is their reigning Queen.”

Opening his footlocker, he grabbed a stack of papers and a book before locking it. First finding Fairy Godmother, he handed her some of the papers “My sister will be too busy being queen to attend classes, Lady Fairweather.” Without waiting for a response, he disappeared out the door, reappearing outside the gates of Castle Beast. Upon finding Ben with his parents, he gave King Adam the rest of the papers “Queen Maleficent Morgana le Fey the Second has officially annulled the betrothal entered by her predecessor in favor of your offer. Here is the official papers.” He smiled at Ben, handing him the last item “A book of Unseelie Fae traditions and customs, which contribute to our culture and laws. I forgot to check the language so can you read the first page for me?”

Ben opened the book and frowned “No-“ he was cut off by Malice holding a hand over the book, and by extension his hands. A sky blue light fell from his hand onto the book.

Lowering his hand, he said, “Try now. I just need to know if you can read it.”

“Yeah, I can read it now. Did you translate it?” Malice swiped Ben’s signet ring before the future High King could close the book. “Now I can’t read it. What did you do?”

Returning the ring, he said “You can read any language so long as you’re wearing that ring.”

“Wait,” Queen Belle said from where she was sitting, reading through the papers with her husband, “If you’ve been coronated then your magic must have matured.”

“If you’re asking do I have wings and horns then the answer is yes. My family crest,” he indicated his lapel, “serves the same purpose as Fairy Godmother’s butterfly pin, it makes me appear human. I have a question, well a couple but they’re connected. Are Olympians exempt from the magic restrictions?”

“Yes, it’s-“

“Were you aiming to stop the Enchantress with the restrictions?”

“Yes, but-“

“Are you aware that the Enchantress is the Greek Goddess Hecate?”

Adam sprang to his feet “What?!”

“Really? You really thought any ol’ witch could pull off that curse? You’ll need to talk to my sister about changing the magic laws but first, let me explain something my father taught me and his youngest. In Greece, you have to open your home to any traveling stranger. Your story is the perfect example of why, though usually slighting a God or Goddess will get you an irreversible curse. Olympians have the same hubris as villains, Hecate probably gave you that out for an extra layer of cruelty.” Malice smiled “This pretty much proves another point, what Hades did is no worse than what the other Gods have done. And,” he stressed the word, “He’s a good father. I can bind the Enchantress’ power if you can get her back here. Say whatever you have to, say Hector and Korë have magic. If you use my siblings as bait, you should make peace with letting them have their vengeance. Either way, our father will be restored to his kingdom and Hecate will be trapped on the Isle of the Lost. However, I’m not gonna condemn more children so I’ll need to find a spell to sterilize her. That’s my offer, know you’ll owe a debt to each hero involved in stopping Hecate.”

“Offer accepted.”

“Say  _ testo ego _ , it literally means I swear.”

“Testo ego,” they said simultaneously.

“Feel that? It’s my magic binding the pact. Invite them, stress the importance of Hecate’s presence for handling some magic miscreants and remind them they can teleport. I’ll get my little brother and sister.” He glanced at Ben, “Either hide the book or make yourself scarce.” He vanished and Adam called Zeus.


	5. Family Politics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades is back baby

Malice was a brilliant schemer but not quite a chess master, his specialty lie in between the long and short run. His little brother and sister agreed to be the bait for his trap. His loyal servants found spells to bind the Enchantress' power and sterilize her for him. King Adam called the Olympians to complain about Hades' children causing all kinds of trouble. Hecate was predictably dispatched, since the king mentioned his son's betrothed contributing to the mess. She appeared right in the middle of a containment circle and the demigods stepped back, sealing her in. Their big brother, the Fae Prince, and his servants performed a ritual that trapped her power within a series of relics then forced her to trade places with King Hades. The ritual complete, the Fae attendants set to work clearing the magic from the room, thus freeing Hades. "Father," his youngest ran into Kronos' firstborn, nearly knocking him over as his power slowly returned.

"It's good to be back!"

Malice beckoned him forward and Hades glided out of the circle, nearly stumbling back as the last of his power was suddenly returned to him in an instant "Son."

"Hecate will be taking your place as the Beast's Enchantress."

"Ah."

"Mal has ascended mother's throne and you are due back in the Underworld in a few hours. Follow me." They joined Auradon's royal family in a sitting room, Hector and Korë trailing their father as Malice preceded him, introducing "King Hades, Prince Hector and Princess Korë of Erebros; High King Adam, High Queen Belle and Crown Prince Ben of Auradon."

"Nice one, kid but I don't think we should stand on formality, too much gets lost in translation there."

"Fair enough," Malice shrugged. "I don't think you should call Adam King Beast."

"Fine." Hades took a seat, his youngest sitting on either side of him on the couch while Adam and Belle sat on a loveseat, the remaining princes claiming armchairs. "Now, would somebody please tell me what's going on?"

"I revealed the Enchantress was Hecate after confirming all the super restrictive magic laws are restrictive because of the Enchantress. Armed with that knowledge, I made a deal with Auradon's first family. Now Korë, Hector and I are each owed a debt for binding the Enchantress' power and banishing her to the Isle. To avoid wasting that debt, I swapped you and the Enchantress out when I banished her. Oh, and y'know how mother's story ends with the prince supposedly slaying her?"

"Yeah," said Korë.

"Truth is, she and Philip made a deal before she was banished to the Isle, betrothing their children to keep the war between Auroria and the Moors from reigniting again. When Mother took over the Isle, another betrothal was entered, promising Mal to Prince Ben but since the Fae throne is passed from mother to daughter, Mal and I fixed that. She nullified the betrothal with Aurora and I took her place in the betrothal with Ben."

"Okay, still confused," said Hades.

"Sorry, I'm kinda all over the place with this." Malice said "Mal was betrothed to Ben, I was betrothed to Sleeping Beauty's daughter. Now I'm betrothed to Ben, the betrothal with Sleeping Beauty is gone and Mal is Queen of the Fae. After Mal became queen, I told King Adam that the Enchantress got away scot free despite his best efforts because she's an Olympian. Using his story as an example, I made him see that what you did was no worse than what the other gods do. He agreed to restore you to your kingdom and give each of us," he pointed at himself and his siblings "An IOU if we dealt with the Enchantress. You're back, she's on the Isle and the Underworld is once again yours. However, you will be allowed to visit the United States of Auradon as long as you follow their laws. You won't be trapped in the land of the dead, just banned from your brother's kingdom. Oh, and the Olympians tried to adopt Hector and Korë when we first got here but I shut that down because of their habit of punishing families for the crimes of one member. There's some formalities but you can retain custody of all three of us. I'm not sure how or if that would work with Mal being a queen so better start with us."

"As your father, I'm pretty sure I have to agree to a betrothal."

"Yeah and did you miss the part where I'm betrothed to the guy who is going to rule all of Auradon in, like, two years?"

"No. I missed the part where two guys can be betrothed. Call me old fashioned-"

"I'm half-god, half-fae. My lifespan dwarfs his and there are ways for men to conceive, which fulfills the main purpose of an arranged marriage by ensuring the bloodline continues. Do you have an actual objection or will you let Mal signing on behalf of her kingdom stand? You have a potential heir on either side of you if you need it."

Hades looked at his youngest before nodding "Very well. I will not contest the betrothal but for obvious political reasons, I am not claiming custody."

"What?" asked Ben.

Malice explained "If he claims custody then I will be prince of his kingdom and he will have to sign the betrothal. He does not want to do that because he is old fashioned enough to object to its existence on the grounds of neither of us being women. The problem with that is not my father being homophobic, the problem is that in his day suitors offered the father of an eligible bachelorette a dowry and whoever made the best offer was usually chosen to marry the young woman. Lose a child, win a ton of wealth, the world has moved on from that system. My father is fine with me marrying you but we're not going to get his full support in the form of him signing the betrothal. As long as he does not claim custody then I am only prince of my sister's kingdom and the betrothal in its current form stands without him formally objecting to it." Malice sighed "I guess it is a good thing you have two years to learn this stuff."

"How do you know this stuff?"

"It's a long story but the short version is the Evil Queen taught me politics by accident."

Hades checked with King Adam "I can come and go as I please so long as I don't kill anybody or cross the border into Olympian territory?"

"Yes."

"Awesome! Now where do I sign to claim the rugrats?" The kings and Queen Belle excused themself to the study. Malice asked Ben to lead the way to the library so he could read to his little siblings to keep them occupied and Ben from asking too many questions.


End file.
